Shovel attachment.



` G'. DABELSTEIN. T VsHovEL ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED MN. ll. l9lv5.

" CHARLES DABELSTEIN, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

SHOVEL ATTACHMENT.

`Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 18, 1916.

Application filed January 11, 1915. Serial No. 1,493. i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES DABELSTEIN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 'Shovel Attachments, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a shovel attachment by which snow and ice can be expeditiously removed from streets, sidewalks and other surfaces.

The primary object of my invention is to provide a shovel attachment of the above type wherein novel means is employed for `subjecting snow and ice to a blow ame or hot blast that will quickly melt snow and loosen ice, whereby the ice can be scooped up by the shovel or otherwise removed.

A further object of this inventionsis to provide a shovel attachment of the above type wherein a liquid fuel, as kerosene or gasolene can be utilized for heating the lower end of the shovel and for melting ice. Novel means is also employed yfor producing a blast of air contiguous to a flame whereby the flame will have sufficient intensity as to expeditiously soften or loosen indurate frozen matter.

The above and other objects are attained by a simple, durable and inexpensive mechanical construction which will be hereinafter specifically described and then claimed.

Reference will now be had to the draw ing, wherein- Figure l is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a shovel attachment in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a plan of the same partly broken away and partly in section, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a portion of the shovel, illustrating a modication of my invention.

In the drawing, the reference numeral 1 denotes a shovel or scoop having a handle `rod 2. Riveted or otherwise connected to the bottom of the scoop 1 is a metallic casing 3 which has the outer end thereof open in proximity to the outer edge of the shovel or scoop. In the casing 3, contiguous to the bottom thereof, is a horizontal partition 4 and a vertical partition 5, said partitions coperating with the side and end walls of p the casing 3 in providing a liquid fuel reservoir 6. The reservoir 6 is adapted to contain gasolene or kerosene and is filled through the medium of a filler openingy 7 normally closed by a cap 8, said filler openlng being adjacent one side of the casing 3, as best shown in Fig. 2.

.The vertical partition 5, is provided with wick guides 9 and extending through said guides into the reservoir are flat wicks 10. The outer ends of the wicks 10 extend through the open end of the casing 3 and are held against the bottom of the shovel or scoop 1 by a transverse wick adjusting rod 12, which has one end thereof provided with a knurled butto-n 13. This wick adjusting rod is of a conventional form, as commonly employed for moving a plurality of wicks, for instance, as in a small oil stove, and permits ofthe flat wicks being adjusted fromtime to time, and provision is made for supplying a blast of air to the outer endsk of the wicks, to increase the intensity of flames when the wicks are ignited. This 1s accomplished by an auxiliary casing 14 connected to the bottom of the shovel or scoop 1 and the lend of the casing 3.

The auxiliary casing 14 has the wall thereof provided with an air inlet opening 15 and within said auxiliary casing is a horizontally disposed fan 16. The shaft 17 of said fan extends through the bottom of said casing and is provided with a crank 18 connected by a flat rod 19 to a slide 20. The slide 20 is movable in guides 21 carried by the bottom of the casing 3 and said slide is connected by a pitman 22 to the crank 23 of a. roller shaft 24. The roller shaft 24 is journaled in depending bearings 25 carried by the bottom of the casing 3 and mounted upon said shaft is a roller 26. The bottom of the casing 3 is offset to provide clearance for said roller, which is preferably located in the longitudinal axis of the shovel or scoop.

The horizontal partition 4 cooperates with the bottom of the casing 3 in providing a horizontal air channel or flue 27 in communication with the auxiliary casing 14, and when the shovel or scoop is moved over asurface with the roller 26 in engagement with the surface, the fan 16 is revolved to force air through the channel or flue 27, whereby there will be a blast at the outer ends of the wicks 10.

ilo

In Fig. 3 of the drawing, there is illustrated a slight modification of the invention,

within the casing 3a. y branch pipe or tube 35 extending out of the wherein thel auxiliary'casing 14,' th'e revoluble fan 16 and the air channel or flue 27ajre`v dispensed with, retaining the body 7, reservoir 6, partition 5, wick guides 9, and wick adjusting means 12. A roller 26 is vutilizedinl connection with a shaft 24a, a crank 23a,

and a connecting rod-28 for operating a pis- Froller26f As ajmatter of goodjconstruction the pump cylinder 30 forms l.partof the bottom of the casing 3a and the roller y ,26a extends into the casing, thus permitting ofthe outer end of the shovelor scoop being easily placed in engagement with a surface. The cylinder is provided. with an air v'inlet port 31 having a conventional form of check valve 32 and said cylinder is connected by a pipe 33 to a transverse header 34 casing 3"1 in proximity to the outer end of a wick 10a and when the shovel or scoop is moved over a surface, the pump is operated to supply air to the outer end of the wick and produce a blast that will facilitate the removal of frozen matter.

, By detachably connecting the casing 3,

fas well las the auxiliary casing 14:, to the bottom of the shovel or'scoo-p 1, such shovel. or scoop can be used for other purposes than that herein shown, and with the casing made of light and durable sheet metal very little The header 34C has a y Vin presence manipulated. for .thawing ice.

vWhile in the drawings there are illus- Vtrate-d theV preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that the struc- *tural elements are susceptible .to vsuch changes, 1n the size, shape and manner of assemblage, as fall within the scope of the appended claim.y 4

What Ifclaim is f The combination with a shovel, of a casingl carried thereby and having the outer .end thereof o-pen, a fuel reservoir in said casing, an air channel between said reservoir and the bottom of said casing, a plurality of wicks extending from said fuel reservoir to the outer open end of said casing and adapted to maintain flames beneath said shovel, a revoluble roller supported by said casing, a slide supported by the bottom of said casing actuated by a rotary movementof said roller, a fan yat the rear of said fuel reservoir and at the inner end of said air channel adapted to be revolvedv by recip rocatory movement of said slide, and means vadapted for adjusting said wicks. In testimony whereof I aliix my signature of two witnesses. n CHARLES DABELSIEIN.'V Witnesses ANNA M. Donn,

CHAS. WV. STAUFFIGER.

- Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C3 

